Hideo Kojima Comments on Sony Buyout Rumors | Screen Rant
In the wake of rumors about Sony possibly buying out Kojima Productions, Hideo Kojima insists the development studio will maintain its independence. Such speculation began making the rounds after the official PlayStation website updated its PlayStation Studios banner to include imagery of Death Stranding, leading many to believe an announcement of a Kojima Productions acquisition was imminent.
The threads tying the rumor together seem tenuous at best, yet the new banner does raise a fair few questions. Notably, while Sony owns the Death Stranding IP, the Kojima-developed game constitutes the only one in the updated banner that isn't a PlayStation-owned studio. Game enthusiasts quickly pointed out that an official Sony account once tweeted a "Welcome to the Family" image complete with a photo of Bluepoint Games' Demon's Souls remake, a mistake resulting in Bluepoint reaffirming its status as an independent company. Approximately three months later, the two entities made the buyout official. It shouldn't come as a surprise, then, that many believe history is repeating itself, especially after SIE President and CEO Jim Ryan recently confirmed Sony's plan to purchase more teams.
Not long after the revised PlayStation Studios banner began making the rounds earlier this week, Hideo Kojima tweeted the image from his Japanese Twitter account. Needless to say, the speculation kicked into high gear soon thereafter, with rumors spreading like wildfire that Sony Interactive Entertainment may purchase Kojima Productions. Hideo Kojima himself has since put such insinuations to rest, clarifying via his English Twitter account earlier today, April 15, that "Kojima Productions has been and will continue to be an independent studio." The social media post in question reads as follows:
Given the aforementioned series of events leading up to Sony's acquisition of Bluepoint Games, there are those who remain convinced that change sits on the horizon for Kojima Productions' relationship with PlayStation. Yet, when setting aside this admittedly tenuous evidence, nothing even suggests Hideo Kojima has an interest in leaving behind the independence he gained less than a decade ago. Only time will tell what the future holds for the legendary game developer.
Since claiming its independence in late 2015, Kojima Productions has brought one project to market - Death Stranding, which hit store shelves as a PS4 console exclusive in November 2019 before migrating to PC the following year. The studio released an enhanced version of the adventure on PS5 in 2021, offering new gameplay mechanics and various performance boosts. Despite the occasional tease, there exists no word on what Kojima Productions' next game will entail.
Source: Hideo Kojima/Twitter